Method of manufacturing ball-retainers.



v D. P. CHAMBERS. METHOD OF MANUFACTURING BALL RETAINEES.

APPLICATION FILED 0UT.15,1910.

Patented Oct. 8, 1912.

2 SKEETB-SHEET 1.

D. P. CHAMBERS:

METHOD OF MANUFACTURING BALL RETAINERS. APPLICATION TILED 00115, 1910.

1,040,274. Patented oat. 8, 1912.

2 SHEETS'-SHBET 2.

73 mm co ac .s we 11- T01;

4 'rrizn s'ra'rns PATENT QFFICE.

DAVID FRANKLIN STAR BALL RETAINER COMPANY, TION OF NEW JERSEY.

LJIAMBERS, 0F LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE OF LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORA- METHOD 013 MANUFACTURING BALL-RETAINERS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, Dawn 1'. CHAMBERS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lancaster. in the county of Lancaster and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Metheds of Manufacturing lhill-lietainers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the manufacture of annular ball retainers for tall bearings, and more particularly to a method of making ball retainers of that type in which a circular series of standards extend from one edge or margin of an annular base and overhang said base, the free ends of the standards being so spaces are provided between the standards for receiving and confining a circular series of balls in separated relation without preventing free rotation of the balls.

In its broader aspects, the object of my invention is to provide a rapid and economical method of forming suitable blanks ofannular, angular, or hat-shaped form adapted for usein the manufacture of ball retainers of the character referred to, which arendapted to be struck out of such blanks with suitable ball holding apertures or spaces and angular or other suitably formed parts, for separating and holding a circular series of balls in position to resist both radial pressure and endthrust, .without permitting the retainer to contact with the bearing surfaces between which it is placed and without preventing free rotation of the balls in any direction. A further ob ect 1s to provide animproved method of manufacturing ball re- "tainers such as are illustrated and described 1n Patent No. 686,617, grantedHenry B.

.K'eiper, Nov. 12,1901, and particularly the Keiper commercial retainer of the form illustrated and described in -the aforesaid Kciper patent ashis preferred form, and

to reduce the number of steps of the process heretofore employed in the manufacture of such retainers, and the manner of handling and utilizing the material from which they are formed, so. as to effect a saving of time, labor and expense in their production.

With theforegoing and other-objects in view,the invention will now be hereinafter mQlTfii-Jnarticularly described, with reference Specification of Letters Patent.

formed that: suitable Patented Oct, 8,1912.

Application filed October 15, 1910. Serial No. 587,198.

to the act-.mnpanying drawings, which are to be taken as apart of this specification, and thenpointed out in the claims at the end of the description. I

Figures 1, 1 and 1 of said drawings rep resent a perspective view, a longitudinal sectional elevation, and a plan view, respectively, of a metal andhat-form blanks struck up therefrom in process of manufacture by my improved method showing two partially formed substantially. hat-shaped bodies integral with the metallic strip as formed by successive action on the same portion of the strip in the process of 'producing the'complete blank, one of which is shown detached and having the top of its crown removed and the remaining portion drawn out straight in cylindrical form, so as to decrease the thickness of the metal of the crown and lengthen the'latter to adapt the severed body for cutting and shaping parts thereof to produce the complete retainer by subsequent treatment or in successive steps of the process. Figs. 2 and 2 represent a perspective view and a trans verse section respectively of the device as produced by subsequent treatment of the severed body in a further step of the procview and a transverse section, respectively, of the device as produced at another step of the process, and Figs. 4 and Mi'epresent a perspective view and a transverie section, respectively, of the device as pr duced in the final step of the process, this being the finished ball retainer of the Keiper commercial form above mentioned.

ln practising my strip or plate of metal, preferably steel, of considerable length so as to form or produce from the same strip a considerable number.

of hat-form blanks, and by means of suitable tools or dies, 1 first cut a hsk-l1ke por- Figs. 3 and 3 represent a perspective.

invention, I use a flat I tion A without severing it. from the strip and at the same time draw out the central portion of the disk in the form of the crown of a hat, producing a substantially hatshaped body B integral with the strip, being joined thereto at each side thereof, shown, for further treatment as the strip is moved or fed along and the crown porti'on subjected to the action of another tool or die for cutting out the top of the crown,

the metal (it which thus drawn out is reduced in thickness so that the standards formed therefrom in succeeding steps of the process will be relatively elastic while the rim or base-ring is relatively stilt or inflexible. When the top is removed there remains 'an inwardly curved marginal p01: tion, which is denoted by the letter [1 1n the body, connecting portions of the strip, de-

noted by the letter C, are left intact therewith, which serve to hold the marginal. portions of the strip together and facilitate handling and feeding the strip lengthwise, so as to subject it to the action of suitable tools or dies for producing the desired forms. Such tools or 'dies may be arranged and operated in various ways for producing the desired blanks, either mechanically or by hand, but I preferably employ a ruoreere' peditious method of production, for. greater speed and economy, and to this end I may use a mechanically actuated series or group of tools or dies operating simultaneously on dilicreut portions of the metal strip and successively on the same portion thereof in' such manner that at a single stroke for straightening out the topless crown of a proviouslypartly formed body and severing it from the strip, another previously partlyt'orined body will have the top of its crown removed while another disk-like portion is being cut and drawn out ready to be subjected to the successive action of "other forming tools, which at that moment may be operating simultaneously on preceding partly formed portions of the saline strip. For instance, the initial hat-like form having been cut and drawn out, the

strip of metal is advanced sutlicicntly to bring a dilii'crent port-ion under the action of the same tool, so as to produce another approximately hatshaped body witha closed top, and at the same time the top of the crown of the rst partly formed body cut or punched out by another suitable tool. The strip being again fed or advanced the required distance, the hat-shaped body with open top and inwardly curved margin is brought under the action of another tool or die for the purpose-of straightening and drawing out the metal of the crown and at the same time severing the base portion Jl'roui the metal strip: and simult'aueously with the drawing out and struightening the crown oi the 'iarl'ly 'l'orn'i'ed hatshuped body, a previously partly formed body may have the top of its crown cutout,

while-another portion of the metal strip is being subjected to the action of another tool for producing another partly formed body to be treated successively in'the'same manner for producing the desired blank from which the finished ball retainer is made inthe succeeding steps of the process. not, however, desire to be limited in the application of my invention to mechanical action, successively and simultaneously, or otherwise, as. it "is obvious that the same method of production may be utilized in various ways, without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

The described hat-form blank severed from" the strip may now be further treated by cutting and bendingv portions of the.

which the retaineris confined, without permitting the retainer to come into contact with such surfaces. I have illustrated in Figs. 2, 2 to 4, 4 of the-drawings the method of cutting and bending portions of the crown and rim of the hat-shaped blank so as to produce a retainer of the Keiper commercial form, though obviously the form may be fvaried, still utilizing the same blank.

Figs. 2 and 2 illustrate the crown por tion With cuts of substantially oval form, open atone end,-torminga series of standards rising from one edge of the base-ring and widened toward their free ends; the base-ring being flat. "In this form the standards may be bent or curved in such manneras to overhang the base-ring and adapt them to confine balls thcrebetween, but a concave base-ring is stronger and will assist materially in confining the balls and having the standards bent substantially at right angles to and overhanging the concave base, making the complete retainer.

The entire series of standards may be formed at a single stroke of a suitable tool for cutting the oval-shaped openings, and thebase-ring is then bent or pressed into shape by another suitable tool, whereupon the entire series of standards are bent over the concave base, thus finishing the retainer.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Lettors latent is:

1. The herein described method of forming hat-shaped blanks for use in the manufacture of ball retainers for ball bearings, which consists in first partially cutting from a flat metal strip 01' platc'a disk-like portion Ido and z.iaitaneously drawing out the central portion of the disk so as to form a substantially hat-shaped body having a crown of reduced thickness of metal and a rim integral with the strip. then removing the top of said crown, then drawing out and straightening the topless crown, and then severing its'rim from the strip.

-2. The herein described method of forming blanks for use in the manufacture of ball retainers for ball bearings, which consists in first cutting without severing from a strip of'metal a disk-like portion and simultaneously drawing out the central portion of the disk so as to form a substantially hatshaped body integral with the strip, then removing the top of the crown of said hatshaped body, and then drawing out and straightening the 'topless crown of said partly formed bodv, and then severing it. from the strip. a

3. T he herein described method of manufacturing ballretainers for ball bearings, which consists in partially cutting from a flat metal strip or plate a disk-like portion and drawing out the central portion of the disk so as to produce a sulntantialllv hatshaped body having a crown of reduced thickness and a partially formed rim joined to the strip, then cutting out the top of the crown, then drawing out the remaining portion of the crowrtstraight in cylini'lrical form and severing it from the strip with a rim of smaller diameter than the previously partly formed rim.and finally cutting and bending portions of the severed body so as to adapt the device to hold a circular series of balls in separated relation without pre venting free rotation of the balls.

- 4. The herein described method of manufacturing ball retainers for ball bearings which consists in partially cutting from a flat metal strip or plate a disk-like portion and drawing out the central portion of the disk so as to rfioduce a substantially hatshapcd body having acrown of reduced thickness. and a partiall i'ormed rim joined to the strip. then cutting out the top of the crown. then drawing out the remainingportion 'of the crown straight in ylindrical form and severing it from the strip with a rim of smaller diameter than the previously partly formed rim, and linally cutting and bending the crown of the severed bodyso as to form a series of standards extending from the inner edge of and overhanging a circular base and widened toward their free ends.

5. The herein described method of mam factoring ball retainers .lor ball bearings which consists in partially cutting from a flat metal strip or plate a dislrlikc portion and drawing out the central portion of tlm disk so as to produce a substantially hatshaped body having a crown of reduced thickness and a partially foruaid r m joined to the strip, then cutting out the top oi th crown, then drawing out the rt-uiai Fug poi" tiOn of the crown straight in cylindrii :41 form and severing it from the strip with a rim oi" smaller diameter than the previously partly formed rim, and finally cutting and la :aling the crown and rim of the severed bod so as to form a series of standards extending from the inner edge of and overhanging a circular concave base and widened toward heir free ends.

(3. The herein described method of nlakin ball retainers for ball bearings. which "onsists in simultaneously cutting and dr t\ ing out a portion of a plate or shoot of metal in such manner as to form a substantially lat shaped bod integral with the strip. than feeding the strip longitudinally, then cntting out the crown of the l'nitshapcd body and simultaneously forming another similar body. then again feeding the strip. then drawing out the crown portion and severing from the strip the first-tormcd body'and simultancously forming a third body and cut-- ting out the crown of the secoml-t'orincd body, and then cutting out and bending the crown and rim of the severed body so as to form a series of standards rising from the inner edge only of the rim and overhanging said rim. thus producing the finished rc t; i r.

7. The improvement in the art of manat'acturing ball retainers for ball hearing; which consists in partly cutting out a disk from a metal strip and simultaneously draw ing out the central portion of the disk to form a substantially hat shaped bodvintegral with the strip. then cutting out the top of the bod concentric with the side l:'.k\'lll a small inturncd portion on the top edge ot the side of the body. then drawing out said inturn d portion and prolonging the side of the body into a (J \'lllHll"lC2ll wall of less thick ness than the base of the body, and then severing the body from the strip.

In testimonv whereof I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

DAVID FRANKLIN CHAMBERS.

Vitnesses:

A. G. Msn'rzum, W. A. Fr'mrnn. 

